5 questions from Ward 3 Holland council candidate forum

Residents of Ward 3 and beyond questioned Holland City Council candidates during a Monday, July 31, forum organized by the League of Women Voters.

Three candidates are vying for the city council seat currently held by incumbent candidate Brian Burch, who is running for re-election. Tim Marroquin and Raul Garcia, both lifelong Holland residents, are challenging Burch in the Aug. 8 primary. The two candidates with the most votes will go on to the general election in November, unless one candidate receives more than 51 percent of the vote, in which case he will be declared the winner.

During the forum, candidates took questions from the public. About 40 people were in attendance.

Here are five questions answered by the Ward 3 candidates:

In what ways are you involved in the ward you want to represent?

Burch: "I'm usually out at 6 a.m. running through the neighborhoods, seeing what's going on. My kids are involved in rec tennis. I'm very involved in those personal familiy ways, those ways that most people in Holland are participating in the city. I'm working with business owners in Washington Square and South Shore Village to create a vibrant business district."

Garcia: "I've had a lot of opportunities to engage with neighbors directly, discovering what their challenges are. There are some things the city is great at, some things it is slow at. There are things (residents) can do in the meantime where we can impact change now with what we have."

Marroquin: "I represent the ward daily by doing things that support others — shoveling, raking leaves, talking to neighbors, utilizing businesses and parks. I advocate for the ward on the Human Relations Commission and (Herrick District) library board."

Previous attempts to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance that protects LGBTQ people have failed. Is this something you would support?

Burch: "It's completely unenforceable. In Holland we treat our neighbors with dignity and respect. We should do that because we love each other, not because we're told to by some government agency."

Garcia: "My faith compels me to include and care for the most vulnerable in our community."

Marroquin: "From my viewpoint, it's something I still can't believe we're having to discuss in 2017. Based on input from the constituency I would support the creation of an amendment."

How can the relationship between Holland City Council and Holland Public Schools be improved?

Burch: "I think instead of lamenting that our school systems are being gutted, we should be championing them and talking about there. There's no direct thing to change what is going on. What a city can do is make a great place for families to live and grow and thrive."

Garcia: "We can be more intentional in engaging those populations — it's significantly Latino. Part of the reason I'm running is to represent that population that often goes underrepresented."

Marroquin: "There is things the city government can do — become aware of the problems of students that go to our schools every day. People need to be aware and responsive to that."

What ways can housing diversity be advanced, specifically low-income housing?

Burch: "We need to work with (Michigan State Housing Development Authority) and the legislature on how they can help cities do mixed-use projects without populating all of them in one area. The best anti-poverty program is home ownership. We need to figure out ways to help people build equity."

Garcia: "It's larger than affordability, it is availability, access to diverse housing options. I don't think accessory dwelling units have been utilized the way they were envisioned."

Marroquin: "The city can focus more resources on ways to find other revenue sources. It is very complex but needs to start with real conversations about why housing is believed to be unaffordable and unattainable by many people."

What are the two biggest needs in Ward 3?

Burch: "We can't do a whole lot more beyond hiring a city manager. In Ward 3, addressing neighborhood connectability to other neighborhoods — safe streets and walkable and bikeable neighborhoods."

Garcia: "Diverse, affordable housing and opportunities for neighbors to get to know each other better."

Marroquin: "Specific to what I think is an identity. How do we assess what is wanted by residents and relay it back to the city? What defines us and separates us from other wards?